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North Dakota DUI Information

"Per Se" BAC Level: 0.8
"Zero Tolerance" BAC Level: 0.2
Enhanced Penalty BAC Level:.18
"Implied Consent" Law: yes

Administrative License Suspension/Revocation (1st/2nd/3rd Offense) :91d/ 1y/ 2y
Mandatory Alcohol Education and Treatment/Assessment: Treatment/Assessment
Vehicle Confiscation Possible?: 2nd offense
Ignition Interlock Device Possible?: Yes


1. A person may not drive or be in actual physical control of any vehicle upon a highway or upon public or private areas to which the public has a right of access for vehicular use in this state if any of the following apply:
a. That person has an alcohol concentration of at least eight one-hundredths of one percent by weight at the time of the performance of a chemical test within two hours after the driving or being in actual physical control of a vehicle.
b. That person is under the influence of intoxicating liquor.
c. That person is under the influence of any drug or substance or combination of drugs or substances to a degree which renders that person incapable of safely driving.
d. That person is under the combined influence of alcohol and any other drugs or substances to a degree which renders that person incapable of safely driving. The fact that any person charged with violating this section is or has been legally entitled to use alcohol or other drugs or substances is not a defense against any charge for violating this section, unless a drug which predominately caused impairment was used only as directed or cautioned by a practitioner who legally prescribed or dispensed the drug to that person.

2. A person violating this section or equivalent ordinance is guilty of a class B misdemeanor for the first or second offense in a five-year period, of a class A misdemeanor for a third offense in a five-year period, of a class A misdemeanor for the fourth offense in a seven-year period, and of a class C felony for a fifth or subsequent offense in a seven-year period. The minimum penalty for violating this section is as provided in subsection 4. The court shall take judicial notice of the fact that an offense would be a subsequent offense if indicated by the records of the director or may make a subsequent offense finding based on other evidence.

3. Upon conviction of a second or subsequent offense within five years under this section or equivalent ordinance, the court must order the motor vehicle number plates of all of the motor vehicles owned and operated by the offender at the time of the offense to be impounded for the duration of the period of suspension or revocation of the offender's driving privilege by the licensing authority. The impounded number plates must be sent to the director who must retain them for the period of suspension or revocation, subject to their disposition by the court. The court may make an exception to this subsection, on an individual basis, to avoid undue hardship to an individual who is completely dependent on the motor vehicle for the necessities of life, including a family member of the convicted individual and a coowner of the motor vehicle, but not including the offender.

4. A person convicted of violating this section, or an equivalent ordinance, must be sentenced in accordance with this subsection. For purposes of this subsection, unless the context otherwise requires, "drug court program" means a district court-supervised treatment program approved by the supreme court which combines judicial supervision with alcohol and drug testing and chemical addiction treatment in a licensed treatment program. The supreme court may adopt rules, including rules of procedure, for drug courts and the drug court program.
a. For a first offense, the sentence must include both a fine of at least two hundred fifty dollars and an order for addiction evaluation by an appropriate licensed addiction treatment program.
b. For a second offense within five years, the sentence must include at least five days' imprisonment or placement in a minimum security facility, of which forty-eight hours must be served consecutively, or thirty days' community service; a fine of at least five hundred dollars; and an order for addiction evaluation by an appropriate licensed addiction treatment program.
c. For a third offense within five years, the sentence must include at least sixty days' imprisonment or placement in a minimum security facility, of which forty-eight hours must be served consecutively; a fine of one thousand dollars; and an order for addiction evaluation by an appropriate licensed addiction treatment program.
d. For a fourth or subsequent offense within seven years, the sentence must include one hundred eighty days' imprisonment or placement in a minimum security facility, of which forty-eight hours must be served consecutively; a fine of one thousand dollars; and an order for addiction evaluation by an appropriate licensed treatment program.
e. The execution or imposition of sentence under this section may not be suspended or deferred under subsection 3 or 4 of section 12.1-32-02 for an offense subject to subdivision a or b. If the offense is subject to subdivision c or d, the district court may suspend a sentence, except for ten days' imprisonment, under subsection 3 or 4 of section 12.1-32-02 on the condition that the defendant first undergo and complete an evaluation for alcohol and substance abuse treatment and rehabilitation. If the defendant is found to be in need of alcohol and substance abuse treatment and rehabilitation, the district court may order the defendant placed under the supervision and management of the department of corrections and rehabilitation and is subject to the conditions of probation under section 12.1-32-07. The district court shall require the defendant to complete alcohol and substance abuse treatment and rehabilitation under the direction of the drug court program as a condition of probation in accordance with rules adopted by the supreme court. If the district court finds that a defendant has failed to undergo an evaluation or complete treatment or has violated any condition of probation, the district court shall revoke the defendant's probation and shall sentence the defendant in accordance with this subsection.
f. For purposes of this section, conviction of an offense under a law or ordinance of another state which is equivalent to this section must be considered a prior offense if such offense was committed within the time limitations specified in this subsection.
g. If the penalty mandated by this section includes imprisonment or placement upon conviction of a violation of this section or equivalent ordinance, and if an addiction evaluation has indicated that the defendant needs treatment, the court may order the defendant to undergo treatment at an appropriate licensed addiction treatment program and the time spent by the defendant in the treatment must be credited as a portion of a sentence of imprisonment or placement under this section.

5. As used in subdivision b of subsection 4, the term "imprisonment" includes house arrest. As a condition of house arrest, a defendant may not consume alcoholic beverages. The house arrest must include a program of electronic home detention in which the defendant is tested at least twice daily for the consumption of alcohol. The defendant shall defray all costs associated with the electronic home detention.

Special punishment for causing injury or death while operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.

1.The penalty provided in this section applies when:
a. A person is convicted of an offense under chapter 12.1-16 and the conviction is based in part on the evidence of the person's operation of a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs;
b. A person is convicted of violating section 39-08-03 based in part on the evidence of the person's operation of a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs and the violation caused serious bodily injury, as defined in section 12.1-01-04, to another person; or
c. A person is convicted of violating section 39-08-01 and the violation caused serious bodily injury, as defined in section 12.1-01-04, to another person.

2.If the defendant was at least eighteen years of age at the time of the offense under chapter 12.1-16, the sentence under that chapter must be at least one year's imprisonment. If the defendant was at least eighteen years of age at the time of the violation of section 39-08-01 or 39-08-03, the sentence under either section must be at least ninety days' imprisonment. The sentence under chapter 12.1-16 or section 39-08-01 or 39-08-03 may not be suspended unless the court finds that manifest injustice would result from imposition of the sentence. The sentence must be served in its entirety, without benefit of parole or pardon.

3.If the defendant was less than eighteen years of age at the time of the offense, the punishment may be in accordance with subsection 2 or chapter 27-20.


Alcohol-related traffic offenses - Ignition interlock devices and the seizure, forfeiture, and sale of motor vehicles.
A motor vehicle owned and operated by a person upon a highway or upon public or private areas to which the public has a right of access for vehicular use may be seized, forfeited, and sold or otherwise disposed of pursuant to an order of the court at the time of sentencing if the person is in violation of section 39-08-01 or an equivalent ordinance and has been convicted of violating section 39-08-01 or an equivalent ordinance at least one other time within the five years preceding the violation. The court may also require that an ignition interlock device be installed in the person's vehicle for a period of time that the court deems appropriate.

Driving while under the influence of alcohol while being accompanied by a minor - Penalty.
It is a class A misdemeanor for an individual who is at least twenty-one years of age to violate section 39-08-01 if the violation occurred while a minor was accompanying the individual in a motor vehicle.

Open container law - Penalty.
1. A person may not drink or consume alcoholic beverages, as defined in section 5-01-01, in or on any motor vehicle when the vehicle is upon a public highway or in an area used principally for public parking. A person may not have in that person's possession on that person's person while in or on a private motor vehicle upon a public highway or in an area used principally for public parking, any bottle or receptacle containing alcoholic beverages which has been opened, or the seal broken, or the contents of which have been partially removed. It is unlawful for the owner of any private motor vehicle or the driver, if the owner be not then present in or on the motor vehicle, to keep or allow to be kept in a motor vehicle when such vehicle is upon the public highway or in an area used principally for public parking any bottle or receptacle containing such alcoholic beverages which has been opened, or the seal broken, or the contents of which have been partially removed except when such bottle or receptacle is kept in the trunk of the motor vehicle when such vehicle is equipped with a trunk, or kept in some other area of the vehicle not normally occupied by the driver or passengers, if the motor vehicle is not equipped with a trunk. A utility compartment or glove compartment must be deemed to be within the area occupied by the driver and passengers. This subsection does not prohibit the consumption or possession of alcoholic beverages in a house car if the consumption or possession occurs in the area of the house car used as sleeping or living quarters and that area is separated from the driving compartment by a solid partition, door, curtain, or some similar means of separation; however, consumption is not authorized while the house car is in motion. Any person violating this subsection must be assessed a fee of fifty dollars; however, the licensing authority may not record the violation against the person's driving record unless the person was the driver of the motor vehicle at the time that the violation occurred.
2. Subsection 1 does not apply to a public conveyance that has been commercially chartered for group use, any passenger for compensation in a for-hire motor vehicle,

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